Posted: May 04, 2009 12:03 pm EDT
(MountEverest.net) They lost one but already a brand new Czech star seems to be rising in Himalaya: David Fojtik reportedly summited Dhaulagiri and skied down from the top, save for 600 meters of blue ice on mid altitude.

Another good story arrived from Manaslu, where two Iranians reportedly aborted their summit push to help an Italian mountaineer.

Summit fever is rising on Everest South side: some climbers might push for the top next week. Adding to the action, a big avalanche swept the icefall on Friday.

Kathmandu: Maoist power play

One expedition stated that their Nepalese friends in KTM emailed them saying there are protests in the streets and they don't know what's going on. The Maoist Premier is reportedly trying to sack the Army Chief against the other ruling members' support so tension is building.

Dhaulagiri summits

"Czech climber David Fojtík summited Dhaulagiri on May 1st," proud fellow Czechs such as regular ExWeb contributor Zdenek Strnadel and Vojta Lejsek from www.velehory.cz told ExplorersWeb.

“He climbed via the NE ridge and skied down from the summit – except for a crystal ice section between 7,300m and 6,700m," Strnadel added, "Dhaulagiri is David’s second 8000 m summit (first was Everest, on May 18th, 2006) - both without supplementary O2.”

Fellow sky-skier German Louis Stitzinger plans a complete ski-descent of the peak. He carved some turns between 6,600 and 5,700m on return from acclimatization at C2.

"At arrival in BC, we congratulated this season’s first Dhaulagiri summiteers: Turkish Tunc Findic and Czech David Fojtik,“ Stitzinger's team reported. “The both topped out on May 1st around 2:30pm, in spite of high winds. David also warned us about the sections below the summit couloir and on the NE ridge – both with crystal ice conditions.”

“A member in the Korean team (name unknown) also topped-out at 6:30pm, while another Korean has severely frostbitten hands and hypothermia after having difficulties to find the way back down to the summit couloir, in the night and whiteout conditions,” Louis' team added.

“An Iranian climber also pushing for the summit turned around at the couloir." It's unclear whether the second Korean climber summited too.

Baruntse: Clark’s team in ABC

Another sky-skier, American Ben Clark, is getting ready on Baruntse: “We're taking it easy here at 17,500' advanced basecamp today,” Ben Clark reported from Baruntse. “When the rest of our gear arrives we will begin climbing...finally. The East face is quite active, wisdom put us here to observe and chart the safest path. Thunderous masses of ice cascade down the mountain at any time.”

“We will likely begin by climbing a 20,000' peak just above us and then suss out the access on the East ridge to get to the NE face,” Ben added. “Sometime in the next two weeks we will summit!”

Everest South side

Avalanche in Khumbu Icefall

Reports piled up through the weekend about a big avalanche sweeping the Khumbu icefall on Friday. John Golden posted an impressive video clip live over Contact 4.0 here. Peak Freaks got theirs up on YouTube.

“It was a near miss and too close a call, but everybody was all right,” Dave Hahn wrote. His First Ascent team was in the icefall at the time of the avalanche. Hahn, picking up the tail and still close to C1, spent a tense hour on the radio, until a headcount showed everyone was safe.

“I continued my walk to ABC, still intent on catching my gang,” Dave reported. ”I still felt healthy and hopeful, but I didn’t feel nearly as bullet-proof or in control anymore.”

3 years ago, Dave lost Sherpa friend Phinjo to an avalanche in the icefall exactly: “With vast walls of ice and rock surrounding me, in the world’s greatest cathedral, I missed my strong, humble friend Phinjo,” Dave recalled. “I’d trade a thousand pretty mountains so see his smile again. But it doesn’t work that way.”

Summit fever

“Already base camp is abuzz with plans for early summits on the 10th,” Adventure Alternatives’ Gavin Bate reported. “We will see. Once the fixed lines are put into the summit, which should be in the next week, then you will see much jostling for the first summits of the season.”

“Several teams around here are planning to ‘save days’ and go for the summit as soon as possible,” Laserer Alpin team member Walter reported yesterday. “A mass-hysteria of sorts is brewing, about who will be the first to top-out this year. It could turn out dangerous, since not all climbers hoping for an early push are fully acclimatized. We’d rather take it easy and wait for a quieter time to launch our bid.”

"Kari Kobler donated his Hilti bolt gun and guides Willie Benegas and Adrian Ballinger drilled six new 10cm Mammut stainless steel bolts up on the Yellow Band to anchor two new ropes — one for up traffic and one for down," IMG reported yesterday. "In the process they also cut down over 30kg of old rope."

Yuri & Laura: Swine flu safe high camps

“We’ve been already one entire week above 6,300m – between C2 and C3,” reported Mexican M.D. Yuri Contreras. "Therefore, while being far from the state of quarantine currently imposed in our dear home Mexico, we are somehow following it too, by remaining in our small tents.”

Taiwanese firsts

Among those currently on their last rotation up the mountain is a 7-member team from Taiwan. “We are the first Taiwanese 7Summits Team – Everest is our seventh and last goal,” member Chihchan Lien reported from BC. “In addition, our only female member Chang is hoping to become the first Taiwanese woman to complete the 7 Summits and to summit Everest from both sides."

Four members in the team will attempt to reach Everest summit – they’re currently in C3.

Manaslu: a joint rescue effort

After team member Giuseppe Antonelli perished last week, Merelli’s Italian team has packed up. Reportedly, not only Antonelli was in trouble on the summit push:

Right after Merelli, Panzieri, Zaffaroni and Marco Rusconi turned around at 8,000m, Marco fell ill and his condition worsened in C3. His mates had to drag him down to C2, where they learned of Giuseppe’s death.

Merelli reports that Carlos Pauner’s doctor, the Andalusian female team and parts of the Val Valesia expedition all collaborated in Marco’s rescue and tried their best for Giuseppe. “Two Iranian climbers, on their way up, simply turned around in order to help Marco down,” Mario added. “I sincerely appreciate everyone’s solidarity.”

Antonelli’s body was reportedly airlifted from BC yesterday and only Panzeri might stay for a second attempt, according to Nick Rice. “Just before lunch, Mario Panzeri came over and told me that he had decided to stay in base camp and make another try for the summit,” Rice reported yesterday. “We will keep one cook and one kitchen boy and our base camp setup for the two of us.”

Carlos Pauner and Javier Perez also hope to launch a second summit push soon.

Links to 2009 Himalaya expeditions:

Lhotse-Everest traverse
Mountain.kz - expedition's official website
RussianClimb
Mount.kz

Everest South side:
Everest traverse - Bill Burke's blog
Alex Gavan
Richard Hidalgo's blog
Singapore's women on Everest updates
Airborne Ranger Club of Finland
Croatian female Everest expedition
Scott Woolums' Adventures International
Altitude Junkies
Lance Fox's dispatches
Gavin Bate's Adventure Alternatives
Dutch Everest team- Bernice Notenboom's blog
Jason Maehl
Peak Freaks - Everest updates
RMI Guides/First Ascent - Everest dispatches
Johnny & Brian Strange's dispatches
Asian Trekking - news
Yuri and Laura
Nic Cunningham's updates
John Golden's dispatches
Billi Bierling - Everest diary
David Tait's dispatches
Adrian Ballinger
Alec Turner's dispatches
Eugene Constant's blog
Megan Delanty's blog
Chris Dovell's blog
Norwegians Hjertnes, Jacobsen and Rambøl
Gilad Stern
Robert kojetin
German Thomas "Tomsky"
SummitClimb - News
Laserer Alpin
Iberic Everest expedition
Nancy Norris
Abramov's 7Summits-club
Adventure Consultants
Alpine Ascents
IMG
Mountain Madness
Jagged-Globe
Kenton Cool's dream Guides
Kari Kobler
Atunas Taiwanese 7summits & Everest Expedition

Everest North side:
Czech Hornbein Couloir expedition - Libor Uher's website
Jarle Traa
Kanagawa University Alpine Club
Kobler&Partner
Lee Farmer
Serbian Everest expedition
Manuel Pizarro - news
Gabriel Filippi's posts

Kangchenjunga:
Edurne Pasaban
Jon Gangdal
Kinga Baranowska

Makalu:
Zangrilli's blog
Zangrilli's guiding blog
Roland Hunter's expedition blog
News on Vallejo, Iñurrategi, Zabalza - EiTB blogs

Annapurna:
Martin Minarik
Elisabeth Revol's blog
Valeri Babanov
Nives Meroi & Romano Benet

Lhotse:
Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner - news
Ralf's Amical Alpin
Hirotaka Takeuchi's blog
David Göttler's website
Xavi Arias' blog
News on Mondinelli on Montagna.org

Manaslu:
Joao Garcia's expedition blog
Windhorse Trekking - News on KOrean Dynamic Busan
Andalusian female team - news
Lina Quesada
Carlos Pauner
Nick Rice's dispatches
Mario Merelli
Radek Jaros

Dhaulagiri
Piotr Morawski - news
Peter Hamor
Polish Tatra Rescuers team
News on Mehdi Etemadfar -MountainZone.ir
Luis Stitzinger - news
Nobukazu Kuriki - English blog

Cho Oyu
Al Filo Spanish team's website
Belgian expedition's website

Lesser Himalayan peaks:

Polish Nanda Devi East expedition
Moran's British Nanda Devi East expedition
Puryear and Gottlieb on Lunag Ri
Ben Clark - Baruntse updates
News on Russian Pumori and E-Gongga teams on RussianClimb

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